COOLIDGE, DANE (1873–1940). Dane Coolidge, naturalist and writer of western novels, the son of Francis and Sophia (Whittemore) Coolidge, was born in Natick, Massachusetts, on March 24, 1873. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1877, and Coolidge subsequently grew up on his father's orange farm at Riverside, California. He received his B.A. from Stanford University in 1898 and studied at Harvard University in 1898–99. During the summers Coolidge collected animals for Stanford University, the British Museum, the United States Biological Survey, the United States National Zoological Park, and the New York Zoological Park. In 1900 he worked as a field collector for the United States Natural History Museum.

Excerpt
THE languid quiet of midday lay upon the little road-house that stood guard by Verde Crossing. Old Grit and his wild Texas cowboys had left the corral at dawn, riding out mysteriously with their running irons in their chaps; the dogs had crawled under Jose Garcia's house and gone to sleep; to the north the Tonto trail stretched away vacant and only the brawling of the Verde as it rushed over the rocky ford suggested the savage struggle that was going on in the land. Within the adobe fort that served for both store and saloon Angevine Thorne, Old Grit's roustabout, sat tipped back in his chair breathing thoughtfully through a mouth-organ while a slender Mexican girl, lingering by the doorway, listened in childish adoration.

This work is assumed to be in the Life+70 public domain OR the copyright holder has given specific permission for distribution. Copyright laws differ throughout the world, and it may still be under copyright in some countries. Before downloading, please check your country's copyright laws. If the book is under copyright in your country, do not download or redistribute this work.